Last year the Cincinnati Bengals made it to the Superbowl.

This year they may make it back with Balfour. North Dakota's Cordell Volson protecting their quarterback Joe Burrow. It appears Cordell is on the fast track to a starting job.

That means Volson, the fourth-round rookie, has probably locked up the left guard job.

“I see steady improvement,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “He’s consistent. We know what we’re getting out of him. It’s real important to him. Again, we’ve seen steady improvement from him over the course of training camp.”

Here's the backstory originally published in June, 2022

With NFL teams working on rosters, figured It's a good time to get in Cordell's head.

“I’m somebody that is going to play all four positions and play them at a high level,” Volson said. “If you can be healthy, and you can play every spot, it’s going to be hard to get rid of you.

“That’s definitely something I’ve prided myself on - being an iron man, being a smart football player, a guy that wants to compete and improve every single day. My goal is to go in and earn a job. I’m gonna show up every day and continue to fight to improve that role that I have on the team and take advantage of every opportunity I get.”

Cordell Volson may the world be yours! Here's how it started for him in April

Nobody knows how NFL draft picks are going to turn out in the league. Professional sports players are incredibly elite. Some excel, some underperform. Some eventually make money, and some make mostly memories. Look, anytime you take the field representing the Thundering Herd, or suiting up for the Crimson Tide, you're taking the field with that generation's elite.

I know I just went NDSU > Alabama. But, recently Bison have been big in drafts!

None bigger than SIX FOOT SIX- THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN POUND:

Cordell Volson from Balfour, North Dakota via Drake Public School via NDSU

Here's the pick from the NDSU Athletics Facebook Channel

I'm a Minot guy, so I know the Balfour area. I also know they won't mind when I say there ain't much there. But North Dakotans all know...that's most of us. A lot of wide-open spaces and hearts as big as all of outside. At 6' 6" Cordell probably has a pretty big heart. Jeez on the prairie you could see that kid if you were standing in Sawyer! (about 27 miles away)

This kid from Balfour is heading to the NFL

It's fulfilling a journey that's for sure.

With the 136th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals landed North Dakota State offensive lineman Cordell Volson. This is the first offensive player the Bengals have taken after going defense with their first three picks.

The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Volson played throughout the offensive line during his college career. He started 16 games at right tackle in 2019 during the team’s third straight FCS championship-winning season.